Manama: StartUp Bahrain, the Kingdom of Bahrain's leading national platform for supporting startups, powered by the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), organised the 27th edition of StartUp Bahrain Pitch, with the support of the SMEs Development Board, to encourage Bahraini youth to innovate and enhance the Kingdom's entrepreneurial environment.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the event was attended by Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development and Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB); Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce and Chairman of the SMEs Development Board; Maha Abdulhameed Mofeez, Chief Executive of Tamkeen; Dalal Al Ghais, Chief Executive of Bahrain Development Bank Group; Waleed Kanoo, member of the Board of Directors of Tamkeen; and several members of the Board of Directors of the SMEs Development Board.
The event aimed to provide an interactive platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their projects and obtain the guidance and mentorship needed to develop their ideas and enhance their growth and expansion opportunities.
The event also featured a group of innovative startups offering digital and technology solutions across various sectors, including "Vibo", a social media platform that enables users to create and share short content through videos, voice comments and interactive features, enhancing genuine communication and encouraging active interaction and participation among members of the community; "Meem AI", an artificial intelligence platform that enables organisations to streamline their operations and enhance communication through AI solutions tailored to their needs, including voice and visual assistants, movement management and sign language translation; "Luma", a digital health platform providing personalised health assessments, AI-powered health insights and doctor-approved recommendations to help users improve their health and lifestyle through a mobile application; and "Cogman", an AI-powered business management platform that helps SMEs manage their operations, finances and inventory through a unified dashboard providing a comprehensive and easy-to-use overview.
After the participating projects were presented and evaluated by the judging panel, the winning companies were announced, with "Cogman" taking first place and the "Luma" application taking second place.
Fahad Al Suwaidi from "Cogman" expressed pride at achieving first place, saying: "This achievement marks a significant milestone in our project's journey and reflects the continuous efforts made by our team to develop an innovative business model that efficiently meets market needs. Our participation in the StartUp Bahrain Pitch competition also provided us with a valuable platform to showcase our idea to a distinguished group of experts and investors and to benefit from their constructive feedback and guidance, which will support our future growth and expansion plans."
For his part, Bader Mattar from the second-place winner "Luma" said the achievement provides a strong incentive to continue developing the project and advancing its growth. He noted that participation in StartUp Bahrain Pitch provided a valuable platform to introduce the project and highlight its potential, as well as build productive relationships with entrepreneurs, investors and specialists in the startup ecosystem, helping to explore new opportunities that support the project's development and long-term sustainability.
The event was attended by a judging panel comprising leading experts and investors in the entrepreneurship sector, including Nawaf Al Koheji, founder and Executive Partner of Reete.co; Khalid Saad, founder and Managing Partner of Bunat Ventures; Mahmood Al Saati, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Saturn Consultants; and Laith Al Khalili, Associate Partner at Mumtalakat Bahrain Holding.
Tamkeen's support is aligned with its strategic priorities for 2026, which focus on supporting initiatives with high economic impact, enhancing private-sector competitiveness, linking skills to labour market needs, and adopting an innovative approach to stimulating the growth and expansion of startups, contributing to sustainable economic development in the Kingdom.